Grave of the Fireflies

"Why do fireflies have to die so soon?"

1988 1h 29m JA

🙌

8.5

BANGER

★8.5TMDB · 6,865

AnimationDramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.

“Why do fireflies have to die so soon?”

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Cast

Tsutomu Tatsumi
Seita (voice)
Ayano Shiraishi
Setsuko (voice)
Yoshiko Shinohara
Mother (voice)
Akemi Yamaguchi
Auntie (voice)
Masayo Sakai
Woman who takes care of Setsuko (voice)
Kozo Hashida
Obayashi Chairman (voice)
Kazumi Nozaki
Cousin (voice)
Yoshio Matsuoka
Gosaku (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Isao Takahata
Writers: Isao Takahata, Akiyuki Nosaka
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 23% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Isao Takahata, shot by Nobuo Koyama. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michio Mamiya. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Takeshi Seyama shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tsutomu Tatsumi and Ayano Shiraishi and Yoshiko Shinohara carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Isao Takahata directs. Nobuo Koyama behind the camera. Michio Mamiya scores. Takeshi Seyama cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $3.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 23% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
438 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
5Directed by Isao Takahata, shot by Nobuo Koyama. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Michio Mamiya. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Takeshi Seyama shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Tsutomu Tatsumi and Ayano Shiraishi and Yoshiko Shinohara carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Why do fireflies have to die so soon?".
10IMDB entry: tt0095327 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 16 themes, including "sibling relationship", "hunger", "world war ii", "wartime".
12Released under 24 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Nobuo Koyama
Original score: Michio Mamiya
Editing: Takeshi Seyama
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,700,000
Box office: $842,132
Return: 23% of budget
Original language: JA
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

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Isao Takahata

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What people are saying

Andres Gomez2013-01-04
★ 9/10
The terrible story of two orphaned Japanese kids during the ending of WWII. Incredibly well told and totally moving, without using clichés. A must seen in the anime arena.
sykobanana2020-05-17
★ 10/10
This was the first animated movie that made me cry as an adult. It still does. Two children are left as orphans in World War 2 and have to survive. Such a basic premise, but this shows intimately what the effects of war are on children (a topic not covered by other movies). And as it's about children, it has more of an emotional impact. Described as one of the greatest war movies of all time by Roger Ebert, the work of art will impact you like no other anime. Its interesting to note that this was released originally with My Neighbour Totoro. Both are films about childhood. But where Totoro is about innocence maintained and the joy of childhood, Fireflies is innocence lost, a light dimmed after a short period.
Alunauwie2025-09-30
★ 10/10
Grave of the Fireflies masterfully portrays the human cost of war through a deeply emotional and well-structured narrative. With powerful animation, moving performances, and a haunting soundtrack, the film delivers a timeless and heart-wrenching message about loss, survival, and humanity. It's a must-watch war film that emphasizes empathy over action. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com) and (English version : uwiepuspita.com)